Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1887-04-08
is THE IRON BOOM REACHING VIRGINIA


at first embraced only the Brming-
ham district of Alabama and the
Chattanooga district of Tennessee,
has now spread to Admission, Shelf
field, aud Selma in Alabama, to
Rome in Georgia, to Nashville in
Tennessee, and to various other
places in these states too numerous
to mention. All the lines of tele
graphic communication with tn e
South, various trade newspapers
and several technical essays have
kept the country fully informed of
the character and progress of this
wonderful boom. We have our.
selves collected some Stats tical
data concerning it which vii ap-
pear In due time. 1t is certai My a
marvellous industrial phenomenon
in its scope, its proportions, its in.
tensity, and its tenacity. The de-
velopment of natural gas in and
around Pittsburg may be produc-
tive of less important consequences
to the iron industry of the country
at large than this Southern boom,
which has evidently not yet reached
it's elimination or fixed Its bound
aries.
Thelatest Southern State to show
symptoms of breaking out with an
attack of the boom we have been
speaking OF is Virginia. This state
had a little iron boom of its own a
few years ago, when several of the
best furnaces in the country were
then built within its borders, and
1t may be excused for having been
little slow to catch the spirit Of
the broader boom which originated
further South about two years ago.
1t had less need to catch it than the
other states, for its resources for
the manufacture Of iron had been
more fully made known than theirs
had been. If the present boom
should now capture Virginia we
may be sure that both Tennessee
and Alabama will find in her a
formidable competitor in the man
ufacture of large quantities Of iron,
and at low cost. Already, as we
showed last week, Virginia has at
Roanoke the largest machine shop,
for the utilization OF iron as we'll as
other manufactured products, that
is now in the South.
The indications that the boom is
about to make itself felt in Virginia
are numerous. Large bona .tde in
vestments in the extensive iron ore
and coal lands of Southwestern Vir-
ginia have recently been made for
the purpose of immediate develop
ment; a new and large blast fur
mace at Pulaski, in this district, is
already in course of erection the
ore of the district is excellent for
foundry purposes, and the coal
makes a superior coke, and large
demand tor it is sure to be created
as soon as it can be put in the mar
ket; at Roanoke an inducement of
a cash bonus of $4,000 and exemp-
tion from the payment Of taxes has
been offered to responsible persons
who will establish a rolling mill (;
at Richmond our friend Blanken-
ship Is about finishing the first
Bessemer steel plant in Virginia;
and lastly among the new Virginia
enterprises that occur to US is the
rumOred sale during the past week
to PIttsburg capitalists of 800, 600
interest in the Van Buren, Furnace
property, near Woodstock, which
is expected to result in the develop.
ment of its manganiferous and other
iron ores, which are embraced in
tract OF several thousand acres.
If to the foregoing hasty sum.
mary of the signs of fresh activity
in the development of Vlrginia's
iron resources we add that the fires
of her existing iron enterprises at
Richmond, Lynchburg, Roanoke,
Low Moor, LOngsdale, and some
other places are now burning bright
ly it will be seen that there are good
reasons for believing that an iron
boom in this state similar to that
which is now at fever heat in Ten
nessee and Alabama is one of the
possibilities of the near future. If
it should prove to be just a little
less rapid in its progress than that
which prevails IN these two last
mentioned states we do not think
that any harm would be DONE
Philadelphia Bulletin.